Masks no Longer Required for CATA Buses on Penn State Campus

Story posted April 27, 2022 in CommRadio, News by Emma Aken

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – As of April 18, masks are no longer required on Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) buses on and off campus at Penn State.

The decision comes after the TSA dropped mandatory face mask requirements on public transportation networks.

The security directive went into place March 19 and was set to expire April 18, as its continuation was ruled unlawful by a federal judge.

Sammy Topkis believes the end to the mask mandate on buses is long overdue, and she does not have any concerns.

“We need to move on with our lives just like we have. Cases have not gone up since most people are vaccinated,” Topkis (sophomore-marketing) said.

Currently, 92% of University Park students are vaccinated, according to The Pennsylvania State University COVID-19 Dashboard.

The masking mandate in classrooms and on campus has also ended, as of March 23.

Allie Foxx is happy with the decision to make masks optional on CATA buses.

“As long as COVID cases are down, I have no concerns and hope that we won’t have to go back to that in the future,” Foxx (sophomore-finance) said.

Foxx says she feels less inconvenienced now and doesn’t have to worry about forgetting a mask, and thus being late to class.

In addition to the buses on and off campus, masking is no longer required in the CATA Customer Service Center.

CATA has noted that the CDC does continue to recommend mask-wearing on public transportation at this time, and passengers who wish to do so are encouraged to.

Emma Aken is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email ena5119@psu.edu.